Furnishings and Furniture Industry

I moved apartments recently and figured I should buy some new furniture to fit the new space: a lounge chair, a couple of lamps, maybe a nightstand for the bedroom. I thought I'd find a wide, even paralyzing range of options, but everywhere I turned stores were pushing variations on the same style: Unadorned, airy, lean and elegant — the sort of home decor that would not be out of place on an episode of “Mad Men.” A single vibe prevailed: Mid-Century Modern.

I quickly learned that at some point in the last 10 years (since the last time I forayed into furnishings) the cult of MCM design, once intense but self-contained, had grown into a mass religion. Long, low couches and womb-style...

Related "Furnishings and Furniture Industry" Articles

I moved apartments recently and figured I should buy some new furniture to fit the new space: a lounge chair, a couple of lamps, maybe a nightstand for the bedroom. I thought I'd find a wide, even paralyzing range of options, but everywhere I turned...

Published in Los Angeles Times on December 27, 2015 — Print headline: "Lounge chairs for our insecure times - Why are we so taken with Mid-Century Modern furniture? Because it offers clean lines in a dirty world."